Content

Community

UKGamer

Logitech's Harmony 700 sits comfortably in the middle of the range offering a delicious mix of style, functionality and good value.

Over the years we've gone through a numberofremoteshere at UKGamer and it's a bit of technology which we hold dear to our hearts. Why? Because it's the type of gadget that not only looks cool but you actually use. All the time. It's not like that PDA you bought back in the late 90s promising yourself you would religiously fill it up with your weekly timetable or that fancy watch which is water resistant to 300 metres but you don't even know how to dive.

The high-end universal remote market only has a few major players with Philips, Logitech and Universal Electronics carving up the majority of sales. Universal Electronics typically cater to system installers and their products, especially the NevoSL, is hard to obtain if you aren’t in the industry. However both Philips, with their Pronto and Logitech with their Harmony lines aim to bring automation and decluttering the coffee tables and sofa armrests of homes up and down the country.

VIA marketing differentiator has been producing "green" computers. Tree huggers aside for anything other than basic computing tasks and network devices the embedded processors were woeful. Via, with help from their latest C7 processor wanted to readdress the balance between performance and power usage.

When looking at any EPIA system it's important to remove the warm fuzzy feeling that seem to emanate from its diminutive proportions. Yes, you could fit it alongside that healthy apple in your lunchbox but the fact is this EPIA EX motherboard/processor combo will set you back around £160, so it's far from bargain basement.

As this is my first foray into water
cooling not only do I hope to discover if the kit I'll be installing
is going to meet my requirement but also answer the question of
whether water cooling is for everybody. To be honest, if I can manage
water cooling everybody should be able to.

I have specific goals in mind with this
kit and we'll all see when we reach the conclusion of this article
whether that goal has been reached or if I add this little adventure
to my long list of epic fails

Asus has all but led the revolution of the netbook form factor with their line of EeePC units. Their first foray into an all-in-one "nettop" space with the EeeTop shows potential.

If you think of the EeeTop as a cut down iMac you'll miss the point. However, it's also far more than a cheap and cheerful imitation, sporting additional features such as a touch screen and neat design touches such as being able to stow your keyboard behind the screen. When placed in the kitchen or living room, it's not bad to look at either. This really isn't shaping up to be a dog's dinner.

The EeeTop combines a netbook specification computer with a desktop sized touch-screen. This means you get an Intel Atom N270 powered computer with a 15.6" screen for around £400. Coupled to 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive this makes it almost perfect for browsing, email and even watching streaming video like BBC's iPlayer.

When it comes to quality speakers it used to be that size meant everything. US firm Orb Audio believes they can change that perception with their Orb speakers.

There's no shortage of literature one can ingest when it comes to making the right decision for your Hi-Fi setup. Every single component of a Hi-Fi system is up for debate with enthusiasts passionate about a particular product or technology. However there is one area where there is universal agreement, the surround-sound audio packages you find bundled in with a DVD player are worth less than the effort used to bring them home. Their performance inadequacies are borne out not only because of their diminutive dimensions but also the poor quality components that are inside. One company fighting the influx of poor quality speakers is American firm Orb Audio who claim their speakers not only provide value for money but excellent performance to boot. So what does it take to make a credible small speaker?